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One of the biggest reasons I started this blog was to document my pregnancy. I really want to be able to share my experience with other mommies out there. Every pregnancy is different, no one is the same but it’s nice to learn about how other people are doing because it helps you remember that you are not the only one going through this. You are not alone!

Well for me, it surely has been a whirlwind. I thought I was never going to survive the first trimester. It was really bad. 🙁 I remember thinking “will I ever feel normal again”. Sure enough, I woke up one morning and did feel normal! I was relieved. Morning sickness is really a misnomer. It should be called all day sickness because it can come at any time in the day and last for how ever long. I had it from the moment I opened my eyes in the morning to the moment I went to sleep at night. Absolutely horrible! But, like I said I survived and don’t get me wrong I have been extremely grateful the whole time. I know it’s a blessing to have a baby and I am very happy but it doesn’t mean it’s easy.

Now fast forward to 17 weeks! I had my check up yesterday with The Midwives of NJ. First, let me tell you I love them. They are so caring and they take their time with you and I’m really enjoying the process. At my last appointment they were concerned that my Thyroid was too high but they took some more blood tests and they told me yesterday that my levels are back to normal! Phew! I’m so glad that happened because I would have had to take medication and I really try to avoid that. Also, last appointment my vitamin D was extremely low and they took some more blood tests and guess what? It’s actually even lower. Yikes! I started taking supplements but they don’t seem to be working so I have to switch to a different type of supplement. Vitamin D is really important for anyone, pregnant or not. The baby ends up taking most of it and if you’re surrounded by people who are sick your body gears up to fight it off and uses your vitamin D supply. Hopefully, my new supplements will help me and I can get back to somewhat normal levels in no time.

Now the most dreaded topic of pregnancy. Weight gain! I hate talking about this because people like me who already have body issues to begin with, you can imagine how hard it is to see the scale creeping up each week. Well, I already gained 17lbs and I am only 17weeks. That’s 1lb a week. Granted I am not working out like I used to and I have been very laid back about what I have been eating so it’s totally normal that I would gain weight. Here’s the thing though, I want to have a home birth. To make a home birth successful there are some things you need to make sure happen. Your baby cannot be a “big” baby, so that means more than 8lbs. It’s because it’s more difficult to deliver vaginally when the baby is that large, so if I gain too much weight and the baby gets too big, it ain’t gonna happen. Another thing is gestational diabetes, if I end up getting that, I also cannot have a home birth. And of course, if you end up having a high risk pregnancy for other reasons and/or the baby is breached, obviously it will have to be a C-section.

So as you can see being a candidate for a home birth is actually not that easy but I want to try my best to make that happen so my midwife told me I have to change my diet. AAAH! I know! It’s going to be difficult at first but it’s really important for me to make this work. She is recommending no carbs and no sugar. I mostly have to eat protein, fat and dairy. I can have 2-3 fruits a day (which sucks because I love fruit, especially oranges). Now this doesn’t mean I can never have a cookie or ice cream or a burrito. On occasion it’s fine, maybe I can save these treats for a weekly cheat night or a special event I am going to. I will also be upping my workouts because I have been extremely tired lately I haven’t been very active. Plus, it does not help that I live in NJ and we were still getting snow up until 2 days ago. Ridiculous right?! The weather will be getting nicer soon and I can go for more walks and maybe even some hiking. I try to do spin at least twice a week and weights twice a week as well.

So that’s pretty much my 17 week update. I got to hear the heartbeat again which was really cool. The Midwives keep telling me it’s a boy according to the rate of the heartbeat. But I find out at my next ultra sound in a couple weeks so we will know for sure then. I can’t wait so then I can start decorating the nursery! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Yay!

2 thoughts on “17 Weeks – Pregnancy Update”

Hey Joela. It’s a little concerning that your midwife said no carbs. Carbs in moderation – and the right kinds – are ok in pregnancy. In fact, from everything I read while pregnant, you shouldn’t be dieting or restricting. I’m not saying, “eat the world” or anything, but eliminating carbs doesn’t appear to be sound advice. There is a book called “eating for pregnancy.” Maybe check that out. It is well-balanced and there is a lot of variety. A lot of weight does come off after the baby is born. Don’t stress about healthy weight gain. Enjoy the remainder of your pregnancy! Oh and the Sanuk Serenity flip flops are divine for sore and swollen pregnancy feet.

Hi Lisa! No I totally agree! My midwife practice has about 4 midwives and this one in particular seemed to be a little nuts I guess because all the other ones didn’t seem too concerned about my weight and even up until now I haven’t visited with that other midwife again, only the others and once again they are very supportive and not concerned. Which makes me very happy because she did freak me out a little because you’re right, you shouldn’t go on any diet unless you have a health issue like gestational diabetes or something. So needless to say that whole month when she freaked me out i just cut out cookies and ice cream and sweets just to take a break from it but now i feel like the more pregnant I get the less i want to eat, naturally. I feel like even if i want more portion i just can’t eat it! So, I’m doing well. I already gained 30lbs at 27 weeks but there;s not much i can do at this point. I went from working out 5 to 6 times a week to barely working out at all. I thought I would have more energy but i don’t. 🙁 Hopefully I can get my butt in shape after the baby comes. And Thanks, I will check out those Sanuk flip flops!:) Thanks for dropping by!